Watertight closure



WATERTIGHT CLOSURE Filed Jan. 27, 1944 .ATTOBNEY 'v. H. HURT v 1 2,409,489

Patented Oct. 15, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WATERTIGHT CLOSURE Victor H. Hurt, Cranston, R. I., assignor to United States Rubber Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 27, 1944, Serial No. 519,893

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to watertight closures for receptacles, and more particularly to interlocking watertight closure strips having novel means for retaining these strips in the receptacle closing position. Watertight closures comprising flexible strips provided with interlocking tongues and grooves have been provided heretofore. The construction of such interlockingfclosure strips is usually such that a force of a few pounds exerted at any point along the strips will be sufficient to force the strips into sealing relation with each other or to pull them apart. It has been found, that when a receptacle is provided with such watertight closure a slight pressure exerted upon the receptacle so as to compress the air therein will cause the interlocked strips to pull apart.

To overcom this difllculty it has been proposed heretofore to provide such interlocking closure strips with sliding clamps or clips adapted to be slid along the interlocked strips to a plurality of points so as to hold these strips at spaced intervals along their length from being separated.

Such prior watertight closures work very well when applied to a straight entrance opening but when such watertight closure is employed to extend along angularly disposed sides and around the connecting corner of a receptacle difficulty is experienced, because such sliding clips will not slide well along the interlocked strips. where they pass around a corner from one angularly disposed side of the receptacle to another.

Having in mind the foregoing, the present invention contemplates a construction whereby the interlocking strips of the Watertight closure are firmly held in sealed relation with each other at spaced intervals along their length without the use of holding clips that need to be slid lengthwise of the interlocked strips.

A primary feature of the present invention resides in a watertight closure provided with flexible interlocking strips and having associated therewith at spaced points along such strips removable spanner clamps for holding the strips in their interlocked relation and which clamps are adapted to be moved laterally of such strips into and out of spanning relation therewith. Another important feature of the invention resides in flexibl anchoring connections between the spanner clamps and the receptacle which prevent the clamps from becoming lost when they are removed from the interlocked strips, and which anchoring connections serve also to secure the clamps in the desired position upon such interlocked strips so that they will not be accidentally displaced from their strip locking position. As a result of the present invention the difliculty experienced heretofore in attempting to slide a holding clamp or clip lengthwise of interlocked closure strips where such strips are bent around a corner is avoided.

The above and other features of the present invention will be mor fully understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein.

Fig. 1 is a prospective view of a receptacle provided with a watertight closure such as contemplated by the present invention.

Fig. 2 on a larger scale is a sectional view taken on a line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 except that the closure is shown closed in Fig. 2 and open in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 4 is a prospective view of the spanner clamp for holding the closure strips in their interlocked relation.

The watertight closure of the present invention may be employed upon various types of containers or receptacles but is particularly well adapted for use upon receptacles having a large entrance opening where the entrance opening extends the length of one wall and around the corner and along a second wall which is angularly disposed to the first.

The receptacle shown in Fig. .1 of the drawing i a three-dimensional receptacle having substantial length, width andthickness, and has the top H], front wall H and side walls I2. Such a receptacle may well be employed as a closely fitting watertight container for a radio casing or other casing which cannot be placed in the watertight receptacle unless the latter has a large entrance opening. This opening in the construction shown extends the full length of the front wall II and around the corners to extend lengthwise of the greater portion of the side walls l2. Such entrance opening is provided with the flexible interlocking strips l3 and Id.

The receptacle shown may be formed of a heavy canvas or duck fabric I 5 having a thick waterproof layer ofrubber or the like upon its outer surface, and the various parts of the receptacle may be readily assembled about a hollow form of the desired shape to thereby build up the receptacle a shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing and this closed receptacle with the form therein may be vulcanized; after which the receptacle may be opened and the form removed through the large entrance opening.

The strips l3 and I4 may be variously constructed so that they will interlock snugly enough to form a watertight closure and one strip is preferably provided with the groove l6 while the other strip has a tongue I! adapted to fit in the groove. Both strips are preferably formed of rubber or other material having elastic properties and each strip has a relatively wide flange portion l8 whereby the strips l3 and I4 may be firmly adhered to the outer face of the receptacle at the adjacent edges of its entrance opening, as will be apparent from Figs. 2 andB f the drawing. The strips 13 and I4 preferably have the rounded outer surfaces shown so that when they are forced into interlocked engagement with each other they will together form a rounded bead-like strip adapted to be firmly gripped by the spanner clamp to be described.

This spanner clamp may be variously constructed provided it will snugly embrace the interlocked strips, and the preferred construction is best illustrated in Fig. 4 where it will be seen that the spanner clamp consists of the two spaced C-shaped members 19 which are held in spaced relation to each other by the bridge member 20 having the spaced bars shown whereby the clamp I9, 20 is slidably secured to an anchoring strap 21; The parts shown in Fig. 4 are preferably made of relatively heavy metal so that they cannot be easily bent or sprung out of shape. It is contemplated that the rubber strips l3, M will yield sufficiently to permit the clamp of Fig. 4 to be moved laterally of such strips into and out of snug gripping engagement therewith.

The anchoring strap 2| has one end firmly secured to a wall of the receptacle where it may be covered by a patch 22. An intermediate portion of this strap 2| is slidably secured to the bridge member 20 of the clamp as shown, and'the free end of the strap 2| is adapted to be'engaged with the buckle 23 which is secured to the top ill of the receptacle by a looped strap 24 that is covered by the patch 25.

In the construction shown in Fig. 1 the receptacle is provided with five spanner clamps such as hown in Fig. 4 and each clamp is slidably mounted upon a strap 2| one end of which strap is permanently secured to the casing and the other is adapted to be removably secured to the buckle 23. The arrangement is such that when a spannerclampis engaged with the sealed strips l3 and i4 and are firmly secured in this position by tightening the straps '21 as shown in Figs. 1

and 2 this "clamp will be firmly held in place, and when a clamp is disengaged from the strips 43 and M as shown in Fig. 3 the anchoring strap 21 will prevent the clamp from becoming lost. The

receptacle may have the usual handle 26.

It will be seen from the foregoing that when the straps 2| are disengaged from the buckles 23 the spanner clamps may be quickly pulled loose from the bead-like trip by pulling on such strap as will be apparent in Fig. 3 and the receptacle may then be opened wide. It will also be seen that by employing the spaced clamp members IS the spanner clamp will cooperate with the beadlike sealing strip at the point where it bends around a corner approximately as Well as with a straight length of this bead-like strip, and the difficulty experienced heretofore in attempting to slide a clip along cooperating fastener strips where they pass around a corner is avoided.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A receptacle having an entrance opening, a watertight closure for said opening comprising flexible strips having elastic properties and a tongue on one and groove in the other for interlocking engagement one with the other, a removable spanner clamp for holding the strips in their interlocked "relation and movable laterally to the strips into and out of spanning relation therewith, nd a strap slidably secured to said clamp and having one end permanently secured to the receptacle and other end removably secured thereto to hold the clamp in place.

2. A receptacle having an entrance opening extending along angularly disposed walls of the receptacle, a, watertight closure for said opening comprising flexible strips extending along one Of said walls and around a corner and along the other wall, said strips having elastic properties and a tongue on one and a groove in the other for interlocking engagement one with the other, removable spanner clamps for holding the strips in their interlocked relation and movable laterally to the interlocked strips in the vicinity of said corner into and out of spanning relation -with the strips, and a flexible anchoring strap for each clamp that is slidably secured 'to the clamp and "is adapted to retain the clamp-in a fixed position upon said strips.

3. A receptacle having a large entrance opening extending along a front wall and two side walls of the receptacle, a water-tight closure for said opening comprising flexible strips extending along the front wall and around the corners to the side walls and having an interlocking tongue and groove, removable spanner clamps for holding the strips together at spaced points along said walls and adapted to be moved laterally of the strip into and out of locking engagement therewith, and a flexible anchoring strap for each clamp that is slidably secured to the clamp and is adapted to retain the clamp in a fixed position upon said strips.

VICTOR H. HURT. 

